Dive into the Emotional World of Water with Masaru Emoto

By
RITUALS

Fri May 11 2018

4 min read

Water has the power to calm and cleanse us, but have you ever stopped to wonder if that influence goes both ways? Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto was convinced that it does, which is how he discovered that ice crystals form in different ways depending on whether they were exposed to heavy metal or classical music. With his experiments and theories, Emoto came to the conclusion that water may possess its own set of emotions, mirroring humanity in interesting ways.

He believed that water is “a blueprint for our reality,” and that certain (emotional) energies could cause changes in water’s form. This was true not only for water in liquid form, but also the frozen version. Emoto experimented by introducing all sorts of words, photos and music to water, freezing it, then examining it under a microscope. Not only did he learn a lot—it also resulted in some breath-taking photos.

Different emotions, different forms

According to Emoto, the water’s ice crystals took on different forms depending on what kind of emotions it was exposed to. When it was associated with positive emotions, the ice crystals took on a more beautiful form, but when negative emotions came into play, the ice crystals formed in an “ugly” way.

A more concrete example involves his experiment with classical music and heavy metal. When the water “listened” to a heavy metal song and was then frozen, Emoto noted that the ice crystals formed in a completely chaotic and “disturbed” way. Conversely, when he put on a classical tune, the crystals started to form in a very artistic and aesthetically pleasing manner, differing from each piece of music. Perhaps most remarkable: when Emoto played Elvis Presley’s anthem “Heartbreak Hotel” for the water, the result was broken crystals.

The difference between dirty and clean water

Emoto was also convinced that the crystals formed differently depending on whether the water came from a pure mountain stream or a polluted pool. The mountain stream produced beautiful crystals, while the water from the pool—you guessed it—formed ugly and misshapen crystals. According to him, there was a solution to this: by exposing the water to UV rays or certain electromagnetic waves, the differences were neutralized.

The ‘memory’ of water

The scientist would sometimes go even further with his exceptional experiments. He would fill a Petri dish with water and set it on different photos for 24 hours and then freeze it. According to him, visibly different forms occurred, wherein you could see the outline of the photos. Emoto believed this was a sign that water has a type of memory, and could “remember” the images it had been exposed to.

A healing effect

One of the primary conclusions Emoto came to on the basis of his studies is that the energetic structure of water is sensitive to external factors. He believed that this was the reason why water has a healing effect on humans.

Furrowed brows and a million dollars

Perhaps while reading this, you’ve furrowed your brows a few times. You’re not the only one, because Emoto’s assertions were met with considerable criticism. Many scientists called his experiments and conclusions pseudo-science and said he had no right to claim what he did. According to critics, his experiments were too sensitive to manipulation and human error, and “had nothing to do with science.” They demanded that he conduct broader and better experiments, but Emoto refused.

Stronger still, in 2003, the scientist was invited to join the so-called One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, wherein he stood to win $1,000,000 if he could reproduce his experiment under certain circumstances. Emoto rejected the offer. So even though his book The Hidden Messages in Water was a NY Times bestseller, the assertions within might not always be so reliable…